What makes a card game fun?

What makes a card game fun... hmmmmm an interesting topic.


what do you think makes card game fun?
Is how cool its game mechanics are? The great arts and design of the cards?
Is it if it has cool characters you like like Pokeamon or maybe GI Joes?

well...to me its all those and more:
1) Its simple to play
- All i ask from a card game is that its simple to learn and a newbie can start playing the game without remembering complex rules. RULES damn rules, its hard to play a game if you have to do every phase and every step according to the rules. A game like MTG is easy to learn and once you see someone plays it, and you understand its basic rules , you can start off immediately.

2) The game can evolve into a more challanging game
- Its really important if say you were able to master a game, and you wants to play a harder game. The card game can be made more difficult by introducing cards that causes effects that make the game play more exciting. For example, Pokeamon TCG introduce Stadium cards in the advance level makes the game more exciting where they change a bit of the game rules as long as its in play.

3) Its allows multiplaying
- its really important if a card game can be played in a multiplayer environment. Card games like MTG and pokeamon is successful because they allow multiplaying instead of just the normal one-on-one standard. The Simpson TCG failed because it is hard to be played in a multiplayer environment. For me, i like it if a game allows me to play with all of my friends at the same time. My favorite is when we played a Free-for-all format with MTG. Its interesting to see all of us going against each other, either we help each other eliminate a certain opponent or going against everyone at one time. LOL~

4) I can make cool combos thats shows my own style of playing
- I know its sounds wierd, but thats one of the characteristic i look in a game. If the game only allows a certain type of gameplay, i dont think i will play it anymore. What i like in MTG is that i can mix around some colours and play my own deck even if people will say my deck is weak or not complete, but hey i want to play it that way.
What turns me off the GI Joe TCG is that its has only one style of gameplay. Either you are the Joes and your opponent is Cobra and vice-versa. Its gameplay is interesting to play, but after a long play it will get boring and switching side wont solve the problem.

so far thats all ...i think.
might continue it later if i remember to add anything else.
Jya Ne~